Scopolamine (The Devils Breath)

Comments (0)

Transcript of Scopolamine (The Devils Breath)

Scopolamine (The Devils Breath)By Pieter Tristan Michalis HanraetsWorks Cited upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Scopolamine3DanBS.gifWhat is scopolamine? Scoplomine comes directly from Nightshade or the Solanaceae family of plants. It comes in the form of a seed from a pod or capsule attached to the plant. From there it can be grinned to a fine dust and be either ingested or inhaled into the respiratory system. How Scopolomine WorksThe drug has muscarinic antagonist effects on the mind, this means it targets the peripheral nervous system. However it focuses more on the Central Nervous System (CNS) as it can cross the blood-brain barrier. When Scopolomine is taken in higher-than-therapeutic doses it begins to cause CNS depression. This is seen in as the patient begins to suffer from amnesia, fatigue, and reduction in Rapid eye movement sleep; a sleep characterized by the rapid and random movement of the eyes similar to sleep walking.//www.anaturalway.com/NightShade%20Alkaloid%20Toxins_files/Jimson-weed-c.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolaminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscarinic_antagonistMedical or therapeutic uses for Scopolomine Scopolomine is typically only used for one medical reason other than its illicit consumption. The drug has been used to help ease nausea or vomiting, leading to its main use by Scuba Divers as a remedy to sea sickness or motion sickness. Other than that Scopolomine has become more popular in areas such as Colombia for illegal use.The Devils BreathScopolomine takes on an eerie role in Colombia as it is known to leave people robbed, raped, or worse dead. While this drug has been used for decades it has recently become famous as it appeared in a VICE documentary. Soon after The Huffington Post wrote about the Devils Breath, stating "In 2012, there were nearly 1,200 cases of scopolamine and other 'zombie' drugs being used on unsuspecting targets, GlobalPost reports. Among the victims? Well-known politicians, foreign embassy staff and average Colombian citizens."http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/03/devils-breath-scopolamine_n_3860318.html